Faith of the Raven
by Rika24
Summary: Ever wonder what Faith's childhood was like? Well this is how I see it. COMPLETE!
1. Runaway

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Faith, fox & Joss do.

Please don't flame because you don't like how my idea is. Some facts in the story are official because they had been pointed out or at least hinted at in the show; others are ones I had come up with myself.

Chapter 1 Runaway

The moon fades as the shadow's last warrior dies, as the blood of the Raven runs cold, the truest warrior of the night shall rise as the Faith of the Raven flies out of the ashes, to defend the moon from total darkness.

"Mommy! Mommy!" The eight-year-old Jessie screamed as hot tears streaked down her face. The fire's bright and eerie glow reflected in her dark, fearful eyes. Listening hard to hear her mother's voice, but the crackling of the flames and the sirens of the approaching fire trucks drowned out any sign of a cry or whimper.

Jessie ran and hid in the shadows because she knew all she had was her mother and no other family. She watched closely as the fire was drenched and the firemen went inside. Time passed and the firemen came out, one carrying the charred body of a woman. At that moment Jessie knew she was alone. Fresh tears ran down her face as she turned and ran away from what was left of her house.

Three years later… 

Jessie was still alive and alone on the streets of Cleveland. She had found an abandoned house feared to be haunted; the house was hers enough so that the vampires on the streets at night couldn't come in. Jessie found food from a restaurant; the workers gave her leftovers so she wouldn't have to go through the garbage.

"Why don't we call the police?" asked one of the workers as Jessie was eating, they were far enough away that she couldn't hear them.

"No, because they'll put her in a foster home, besides she'll be fine, she has food and shelter so she'll be fine." He said trying to convince himself he was right.

"Bye, thanks for the food," Jessie said to the restaurant workers, they hadn't realized how long they had been talking.

As Jessie left, the workers wondered if they should call the police or not.

"It'll be safer for her in a foster home," said one of the workers.

"We can't do that, it would be like giving up on her. Besides you've seen how she acts, she might not even find anyone," said another.

"Yeah, but if she does or doesn't find a family she'll at least not be alone, and she'll have someone to take care of her if she gets sick."

"Plus she'll be safer from the vampires"

"Fine."

With that they decided to call. They told the cops where she had been living and they waited for her.

Luckily Jessie saw them but they never saw her. She ran away not wanting them to take her away. She decided to go back to the restaurant, only to find the workers talking to a cop about her.

Jessie felt betrayed; the only people she trusted had gone behind her back. Crying, she ran away again.

So what did you think? Again please don't flame because you don't like the idea. I'm going to finish this story before I continue my other ones. Ideas would be greatly accepted. Please read and review!


	2. The Raven

Disclaimer: I don't own buffy, but my idea & the character Raven are mine. Also in case you were wondering, Raven is just a name I chose, the Raven in my story has nothing to do with the show or actress Raven.

Chapter 2: The Raven

By: Rika24

Not knowing who to trust or who to turn to Jessie kept running, she wasn't looking where she was going and she ran into someone.

"Sorry, sorry" Jessie struggled to say, she had been running and crying for a while and was now out of breath.

"It's ok," said the woman in a kind, calm voice.

Jessie looked up at the woman; she had black hair down past her shoulders, a black leather jacket and black pants on. Her skin dark.

"What's your name?" she asked.

Jessie didn't answer her.

"Ok, I guess I'll tell you mine first then, my name is Raven."

"Raven? Like the bird?" Jessie asked.

"Yes, like the bird."

"I'm guessing you hate that name don't you? I mean the raven is the symbol of death and evil." Replied Jessie, calming down a little.

"I'm proud to be called Raven" she said, black cats are said to be evil, do you hate cats because of it?"

"No" answered Jessie.

"Well my family believes that the raven is the spirit that protects the moon's light at night."

"There is a legend, well more of a prophecy really, that a young girl not of the family will come, _the Faith of the Raven,_ she's called." Continued Raven.

"How can a raven have faith?"

"It's hard to explain, a raven doesn't have faith as in religion, but more of a belief in itself." Raven answered.

"So where are your parents?" Raven asked.

Jessie had started to relax, but after that question she became tense and defensive again.

Sensing her fear, Raven asked, "Ok, how about where you're from?"

Jessie started to back away from Raven, getting ready to run again.

"Never mind, you can tell me when and if you want to tell me, and I'll listen." Replied Raven, trying not to make her run away.

"Here, how about I call you "Faith?" is that ok?"

Jessie nodded

"Ok Faith, you hungry?"

Jessie stayed silent, wondering if she should trust Raven.

"Faith?" Raven said again.

"No, I'm not hungry, but I am thirsty." Answered Jessie.

Jessie wasn't sure if she could trust her completely, but she had a strange feeling that Raven and her were meant to meet, so she decided to give her a chance.

As time past, Jessie and Raven got closer, but Jessie still didn't reveal her real name, not so much that she didn't trust Raven, but more that revealing her name would open old wounds she kept buried within.

By the time Jessie was fifteen, Raven had become like a second mother to her. Raven had been teaching Jessie martial arts because she knew something Jessie didn't, that Jessie was a potential slayer.

Raven wanted to be Jessie's watcher if she was called but she hadn't taken her watcher training seriously, and Quentin Travers would never allow her to be one because of it.


	3. The Last of Hope

_Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy; we all know this by now._

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Chapter 3: The Last of Hope

By: Rika24

"Faith, are you training tonight?" Raven asked.

"Why am I even training? I can't use my martial arts anyway, so why bother?" Jessie said.

"Because you can help people," Raven answered her.

"Yeah well, maybe I don't wanna help people; no one aside from you has ever helped me." Jessie said as she headed for the door. She turned around to face Raven. "Come to think of it, those I trusted ended up dying, and the others ended up betraying me!" With that, Jessie ran out the door.

"You know what this means don't you Raven?" Quentin Travers said as he appeared behind her. He had heard the conversation and didn't look happy.

"I can handle her if and when she becomes the slayer." Raven said.

"Really? From what I've seen, you can't keep her under control."

"She's a teenager, give her a break." Raven said, annoyance showing in her voice.

"She won't train. If you can't get her to, she'll die in her first fight with a vampire." Quentin said as he closed the door Jessie had left open.

"She has trained and I think she's good enough to handle herself." Raven started getting worried. "If I just explain about the vamp—"

"She reminds me of the current slayer, Buffy Summers. She doesn't listen to Rupert Giles, and it'll lead to her death. Faith is going to follow that same path."

"But—"

"But nothing, you haven't even completed your own training to be a watcher. It would be like killing her yourself." Quentin said sternly. Raven was silent. "I will assign her a new watcher, one that's actually acknowledged by the watcher's counsel." Raven watched him leave, as tears started to run down her cheeks.

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Jessie went to her old hideout, she knew her training was important, she just didn't know why. _I'll still train, but in secret. _She thought. _I just don't trust that Travers guy. I know he was there._ _

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_What should I do?_ Raven thought. _I just need to find a watcher that could maybe get the counsel to change their minds, but who? _She thought of her old friends back when she trained. Then Quentin's words sounded in her head. "Giles, that's it!" she exclaimed. "He was the most studious watcher in-training and he's having problems." She got out her old address book; she had made sure to get her fellow trainees' numbers before she had left. "Here it is," Raven dialed the number for Giles.

"Hello" Said a man's voice with a British accent.

"Rupert Giles?" Raven asked.

"Speaking" Giles replied after a moment, he sounded busy.

"This is Raven, we used to train together." Raven said, hoping he'd remember her.

"Raven? Yes I remember you, you left before completing your training."

"I need some help convincing Quentin that I can be a good watcher." Raven began to pace the room. "You know how hard I studied and trained. I just got forced to leave in order to help out my family after the fire." Raven stopped pacing.

"What for Raven?"

"There's this girl, Jessie Lehan, I've been kind of like a substitute mother for her. She's a potential so I've been training her, and it had been going great until now. Now she doesn't want to train anymore." Raven began pacing again and gesturing with her left hand. "Then Quentin comes along and he wants someone else to be her watcher. He doesn't understand that Jessie doesn't trust anyone but me, she'll just run away."

Giles listened closely to everything she said. "I'll see what I can do. Could you give me your number so I can contact you?"

"Yes of course, 216-555-0958, thanks again Giles."

"You're welcome, Good-bye." With that they both hung up.

"BANG"

Raven spun around to face the door. A large man stood in the door way, where the door had been completely ripped off the hinges. "Where is the girl?" he growled.

"What girl?" Raven asked as she backed away.

"Faith, the potential slayer," he growled.

"I don't know anyone by that name." Raven said as she reached her hand behind her, searching for one of her weapons. The man stepped into the room; she instantly knew who he was, Kakistos.

With a loud growl, Kakistos lunged at her.

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"Hopefully that jerk is gone now." Jessie said aloud, she had been hunting vampires in the area to pass the time. Suddenly a vampire appeared in front of her. Without hesitation she spun around, kicking the vampire into the wall of the alley, and pulled out a stake and stabbed him in the heart. He instantly exploded into a cloud of dust. She turned the corner to return home. 

"What the hell?!" Jessie exclaimed as she saw the door ripped out. She ran in and found Raven on the ground, bleeding heavily. "What happened? Who did this?" Jessie asked franticly.

"Kakistos, a very powerful vampire, I'm sorry I never told—"

"I know about vampires, now anyways."

"Do you know that you're a potential Slayer?" Raven asked with a weak smile, guessing she already knew. "Listen, you have to leave, get to Sunnydale, California, there you'll find those that will help you. Now hurry, before he returns."

"Too late," Kakistos said.

"Get out of here!" Raven shouted.

"No way, my place is here." Jessie said as she ran at the large vampire. Kakistos just laughed as he blocked her punches. Jessie froze for a second, then started kicking and punching him. She pulled out her stake and plunged it into his chest. When she realized he didn't explode she backed away.

Kakistos pulled the stake out. "Pathetic slayer." He reached for her and threw her into the table across the room.

"Run Faith, get out of here! Please!" Raven said as she got up, planning on holding the vampire off, but Kakistos grabbed her before she could do anything and snapped her neck.

"NO!" Jessie screamed. She ran for the vampire, filled with rage she jumped into the air and landed a flying kick, only she just bounced off him.

Kakistos laughed as Jessie got up and ran out the door.

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2 MONTHS LATER… 

The vampire lunged at her, but Jessie was too quick for him and slammed him into the dumpster. She heard rushed footsteps coming her way and turned to see a group of teens lead by a young blond woman.

With a smile on her face, Jessie replied, "so you're Buffy right?" she asked as she was pushed back a little by the vampire. Jessie noticed the stake in Buffy's hand and ran over to her, "can I borrow that?" she said as she took the stake before Buffy could answer.

With one quick motion, Jessie staked the vampire and he burst into ashes. "Thanks 'B,' couldn't have done it without you. By the way, I'm Faith." She said as walked into the Bronze.

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_So that's it, what did you think? Please review._


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